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HomeIssue 3: BankheadBehind the Bankhead Issue

Behind the Bankhead Issue

Canopy Atlanta partners with Atlantans to choose, report, and present journalism responding to community needs, helping residents access information about the issues that matter most to them. Our Issue featuring the Bankhead and Grove Park community is coming soon, with the first stories to be released by early February.

 

Canopy Atlanta is paying and training five Bankhead community members—our Bankhead Fellows—to learn journalism skills over a six-week program. Currently, they are in the process of contributing reporting to the stories in this upcoming issue in partnership with established journalists. Those Fellows will use their new skills to keep accessing information on behalf of their communities.

To choose the stories in this upcoming issue, Canopy connected with more than 75 Bankhead community members and convened a Bankhead Community Editorial Board to help guide story angles.

 

Canopy Atlanta is transforming how Atlanta’s journalism is produced by partnering with residents that need better access to information about their community. Join us in making sure every Atlantan can access the information they need by supporting our work today.

Meet our Bankhead Issue team:

Our five Bankhead Fellows, who applied for the program in the summer of 2021, partnered with established local journalists to produce the Bankhead Issue. Canopy Atlanta provided instruction and mentorship in reporting skills through a six-week paid training program.

Liberty Rudo
Liberty is a west side Atlanta-based musician and recording artist who is working on his forthcoming debut album. The singer/songwriter and producer studied Political Science at Morehouse College and went on to work as a consultant in City Hall, and with several small businesses and Atlanta-based brands. Liberty teaches yoga and is passionate about helping Atlanta youth succeed in entrepreneurship, health and wellness.
About Me
Genia Billingsley
Genia has been a legacy resident of Grove Park for more than 50 years. She is a retired operations manager with a master's in leadership and most recently served as a member of Canopy’s Bankhead/Grove Park Community Editorial Board. Genia's interested in social and economic justice and is passionate about community- and team-building. Her personal mantra: “Operate with the intention of doing what is best for all and all should do what is best.”
About Me
Nile Kendall
Nile is a freelance content writer and producer, and was born and raised in southwest Atlanta. He is the creator of Atlanta Decoded, a multi-platform media company and podcast that covers Atlanta politics, pop culture, independent artists and digital entertainers. Nile hopes to help Canopy document the longstanding community pillars of the Bankhead community, while bringing the untold stories of this culturally pivotal neighborhood to the forefront.
About Me
Kimya Trotter
Kimya is a Program Manager at Quest Community Development Organization, Inc. where she represents and advocates for the unique financial needs of vulnerable members in the community, with a primary focus on housing stability. Kimya recently completed a fellowship with Working Film's, Inc., a nonprofit that utilizes documentary film to increase civic engagement and shift culture at the local, state, and national level. She double majored in Communications/English Literature at Mercer University and hopes to use this fellowship as a way to engage in the community, and create connection points between her everyday work, the people she serves in the Bankhead/Grove Park community, and her love for storytelling.
About Me
Ann Hill-Bond
Ann is a Jamaican-born, Ghana-raised, Southern Black-reared woman writer who currently lives in Atlanta. In 2017, she began writing for The Atlanta Voice. In 2019 and 2021, she was the licensee and producer of TEDx Collier Heights, which engaged residents from the Bankhead corridor. Ann has written on Bankhead history and is also, currently, working with former residents of Bowen Homes.
About Me

Workshop Facilitators and Mentors:

Our Bankhead Community Editorial Board, who applied for the roles in the summer of 2021, helped us refine the story angles in the issue based on feedback collected from more than 75 Bankhead and Grove Park community members.

Angy Moss
Mom, sister, friend and community advocate. Living life on my terms, loving my family, my friends, and my dogs. The order varies.
About Me
Renita Johnson
As a lifelong student, resident, and entrepreneur in the area I'm excited to see how the history of Bankhead and the future of Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway unfolds. All Lives Matter.
About Me
Genia Billingsly
Legacy Grove Park resident. Interested in community building, creating the beloved community and all things social justice.
About Me
H. A. “Tony” Lawson
Longtime resident and business owner on Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway.
About Me

Experienced local journalists, photographers, and illustrators contributed to our Bankhead Issue, working on stories based on the community’s feedback or in collaboration with Bankhead Fellows.

Help us bring community-powered journalism to more neighborhoods across metro Atlanta. Support our work today.

Read the Forest Park Issue
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